Raab-Katzenstein RK 6
| Raab-Katzenstein RK 6 crane | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Trainer aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1926 |
| Commissioning: |
1926 |
| Production time: |
1926-1928 |
| Number of pieces: |
10 |
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Raab-Katzenstein RK 6 Kranich was an aircraft type from the Raab-Katzenstein-Flugzeugwerke from the 1920s.
development
In order to have a suitable, because already proven, training aircraft available for the planned flight school of the newly founded Raab-Katzenstein-Flugzeugwerke, an identical replica of LVG B.III was quickly realized in the second half of 1926 and registered with the registration number D-975 . The aircraft proved to be ideally suited for the training of prospective pilots, which began in autumn, so the construction of more copies was planned. For this, some changes were made in cooperation with the German Research Institute for Aviation and series production as the RK 6 "crane" was prepared. The aircraft were offered for sale at a unit price of ℛℳ 11,500 to 18,200 , depending on the engine with a Mercedes DI (used) or Junkers L 7a . One of them, the D – 1033 , was approved with the type designation DLFW BI for unknown reasons . The last machine built was registered in April 1928 and broke in October 1932. Two RK 6s were later sold abroad, one of them to Switzerland . However, this type was not granted any major success, including the D-975 only ten units were produced and flown by private individuals or air sports clubs. None of the planes have survived.
commitment
The flight school opened by RaKa in autumn 1926 initially had, in addition to the first RK 6, a class I Schwalbe , on which the three teachers Katzenstein , Fieseler and Wördehoff trained the first eight students. The D-975 was damaged in a crash landing on December 1 by Walter's student pilot. It was repaired again, but on February 4, 1927, another crash occurred with it, in which the student Paul Küppers was killed and the aircraft was severely damaged, among other things by the complete destruction of the nose section and the demolition of the structure . Nevertheless it was repaired again. After that, on March 12, he was able to carry out an aircraft tow for the first time in Germany . The E 8 light aircraft developed by Gottlob Espenlaub , from which the propeller had been dismantled, served as the towed aircraft. The tow coupling used on the RK 6 came from RaKa's designer Paul John Hall , who later designed the RK 7 slider especially for this purpose . With the combination RK 6 / RK 7 a tow plow was carried out for the first time on April 13, 1927, which was followed by an effective public presentation on April 18 in front of 20,000 spectators as part of a major flight day at the Kassel-Waldau airfield . The team was also successfully demonstrated in Karlsruhe on May 1st.
construction
The RK 6 was a tense, zweistieliger and staggered biplane in wood construction . The hull consisted of a plywood- planked frame with ash spars, the engine in the bow was mounted on a wooden trestle . The wings were covered with fabric and consisted of two wooden box spars and plywood ribs. The wooden tail was planked as the hull with plywood and consisted of the cantilever tailplane with the continuous elevator and the equally unsupported fin with a balanced rudder . The RK 6 had a rigid main landing gear with a continuous axle and a grinding spur at the stern.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1-2 |
| span | above 12.50 m below 11.20 m |
| length | 8.00 m |
| height | 3.10 m |
| Wing area | 32.40 m² |
| Wing loading | 30.2 kg / m² |
| Power load | 9.8 kg / hp - 8.2 kg / hp |
| Empty mass | 700 kg |
| Payload | 280 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 980 kg |
| drive | a water-cooled six - cylinder four-stroke in - line engine |
| Type | Mercedes DI |
| Starting power rated power |
105 PS (77 kW) 100 PS (74 kW) at 1345 rpm |
| Fuel volume | 75 l |
| Top speed | 120 km / h near the ground |
| Landing speed | 60 km / h |
| Rise time | 5.5 min at 1000 m altitude |
| Summit height | 4000 m |
| Radius of action | maximum 300 km |
| Flight time | 3.5 h |
literature
- Rolf Nagel, Thorsten Bauer: Kassel and the aviation industry since 1923 . Bernecker, Melsungen 2015, ISBN 978-3-87064-147-4 .
- K. Grasmann (Hrsg.): Airplane type tables. DMZ 1925-1927 . 1977 (facsimile reprint Deutsche Motor-Zeitschrift No. 4/1927).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Nagel, Raab-Katzenstein production list, page 68